Councillors lack confidence in health reforms

More than three-quarters of councillor are not confident that the redesign of health and care services will success, a new poll has revealed.

The survey, conducted by the Local Government Association (LGA) into Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs), also found only 21% of councillors have felt sufficiently engaged in their local STPs.

Not a single councillor questioned said their full council had been 'very engaged' in their STP.

Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, cllr Izzi Seccombe, said: 'Many councillors have been disappointed by the unilateral top-down approach of the NHS in some of the STP areas. As our survey results show, the majority of local politicians who responded feel excluded from the STP planning process.

'If local politicians and communities are not engaged then we have serious doubt over whether STPs will deliver on their objectives and bring benefits to communities.

The LGA is calling on the NHS to involve councillors as equals partners in STPs and for STPs to be more democratically accountable through local health and wellbeing boards.